The background of the invention will be set forth in two parts.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to the field of animal feeders and more particularly to a new and useful rotatable feeder for small animals, such as hamsters and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,908 discloses an animal habitat for observing rodents and the like in a habitat most effectively simulating a natural environment. The habitat includes a central cage and a number of housings which are connected to the central cage by tubular members. These separate housings permit a rodent to perform natural bodily functions such as eating, sleeping, excreting waste material and exercising, all in different locations in a manner as the rodent would normally do selectively if entirely free and in the "wilds". Thus, it is known in the art to provide a separate feeding station in combination with an animal habitat.
This feeding station is provided with a transparent housing having associated therewith a removable perforated lid, a screened base plate at the lower portion thereof and a removable tray for receiving food droppings or the like. The removable perforated lid is associated with the transparent housing in press-fit relation so that the lid may be removed for placing food in the feeding station.
Feeding stations of this type have the disadvantage that a child user may let an animal escape while removing the lid to place food in the housing. Another disadvantage resides in the fact that the animal is rather inactive while feeding; therefore, the child user is not entertained to the extent that he would be if the animal were active while feeding. Yet another disadvantage resides in the fact that the child user may get bit during the feeding operation because rodents take food out of the child user's hand, if the hand is placed inside the feeding station during the feeding operation.